Coming Soon: Changes to Underwater Skills

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/coming-soon-changes-to-underwater-skills/Is it safe to suspect DEEP SEA DRAGON inc? i don't know why i'm obsessed with that dragon especially but i have been obsessed with it since 2013 while watching WP's lore videos. and everytime WP mentions it i scream at my screen asking WP why he doesn't know more/why he undersells the dragon. i almost had a metaphorical heart attack when they showed us actual human gods(i secretly wanted to see them eventually but never admitted it). so you can imagine how excited i am right now even if i'm just seeing things.

I have to say, releasing this update did lead me to wonder if, at the very least, some major underwater content is coming up. And makes one wonder about the DSD.

I thought they're gonna change "something" in underwater combat in Expansion 3, that I already predicted to be about Deep sea Dragon, and I was surprised when I saw the info that it comes NEXT TUESDAY (!).

I think this update had to happen any time now, because ANet received countless feedbacks, propositions, and the community has waited for long years for the changes for underwater combat.

There is something on my mind about Gen. 2 legendaries.

There're rumours that there will be 7 episodes, so I guess in one of them there'll be released 3 underwater legendaries- Harpoon Gun, Trident and Spear, as we can see how the prices of the Gen. 1 legendaries' precursors have risen- from 30-50, their prices are 150-170 now.

It's just my off-topic wild speculation. ;)

Anyway I'm looking forward to the changes. ;)

probably an Aquatic Ruins Fractal rework at best

There's quite a few possibilities. The timing is very suspect for Expansion 3 - after all, they altered the skill and trait system for HoT a few months before that expansion was released, partially to get players used to the new system but also to be able to balance the new system.

Either they finally had few enough things that they could divert to a much needed boost, or they have underwater content coming soon. Whether that underwater content is DSD related or not is pretty much impossible to know to be honest.

Or this is to be the final nail in the coffin for underwater content and they're teasing us with this announcement.

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:There's quite a few possibilities. The timing is very suspect for Expansion 3 - after all, they altered the skill and trait system for HoT a few months before that expansion was released, partially to get players used to the new system but also to be able to balance the new system.

Either they finally had few enough things that they could divert to a much needed boost, or they have underwater content coming soon. Whether that underwater content is DSD related or not is pretty much impossible to know to be honest.

Or this is to be the final nail in the coffin for underwater content and they're teasing us with this announcement.

If it's that last one, I hope they add some of the missing spear and harpoon gun skins to a PvP legacy weapon chest track or something like they did with some of the unavailable armor pieces a while back. I'm really hoping this is a lead up to something bigger though.

I want to jet around on my skimmer underwater.

I feel like the change coming out now, away from a Living World or Expansion release, gives them time to see how this change is embraced/rejected by the player base so that, if major underwater content is added at a later time, they have a chance to correct this a little later on. Right now, we'll probably just be testing out these new changes and see if they do in fact improve things. Personally, I hope that a lot more of the Land-Only skills get some sort of aquatic use.

Until Tuesday, when they release Quench of Battle.

They're probably just going to make it so we gain a breath timer and that we can drown if we're underwater too long. Also, swimming too deep will crush us. :)

@CedarDog.9723 said:They're probably just going to make it so we gain a breath timer and that we can drown if we're underwater too long. Also, swimming too deep will crush us. :)

The only thing that could make this fun and not just horrible is masteries, most likely in a water based expansion. So I’d think not Tuesday

The overland world is about to be half covered in dragonbrand while the other half will be covered by the scarab plague; neither of which follows people underwater, so now the story takes us subsea for the next expansion :-)

@Fenom.9457 said:

@CedarDog.9723 said:They're probably just going to make it so we gain a breath timer and that we can drown if we're underwater too long. Also, swimming too deep will crush us. :)

Suddenly, this explains everything. They're trying to come up with a new set of masteries for the next expansion, and they're relying on the underwater environment for that.

@CedarDog.9723 said:They're probably just going to make it so we gain a breath timer and that we can drown if we're underwater too long. Also, swimming too deep will crush us. :)

I like this. Finally some reason to put the aquabreather on!

Perhaps the next LS episode will deal with bigger amounts of water? Imagine some sunken structures before actually resurfacing? Anyway, I'm cautiously optimistic.

It's unlikely the changes are for episode 3, which is due to come out this month. If it were, the content is so close that they'd just release the rework with the release. Releasing it separately means they want some live feedback on the changes, which means it would be far enough away to make changes based on the first week or so of commentary from players. So it's possibly for episode 4, though I'd say 5 is more likely, but the expansion seems most likely to me, as a raid or fractal seems too small.

It all depends on the direction of the plot, as I cannot see them making a change for the sake of the changes themselves.

Though now I'm wondering if we'd be getting our third WvW Borderland, and it is mostly aquatic.